Puppy sitter, 93, honored for service

MANTECA — When Harold Rundberg went to a recent Bright Eyes Club meeting he didn’t know he had been tricked into attending.

A member of the club, he later learned, had plotted to get the 93-year-old to be there so the organization could recognize him for his years as a puppy sitter for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Rundberg, an Oakland native who moved to Manteca nearly 30 years ago, said his involvement started when he was reading a newspaper several years ago and came across an article about Guide Dogs for the Blind, an organization that provides service dogs at no cost. He said he thought it was a worthy cause and contacted the San Rafael-based organization to write a “sizeable check.”

But about five years ago, he felt compelled to do more.

Linda Rubino, who leads the county’s Bright Eyes Club, which trains future guide dogs, said she recalls receiving a phone call from Rundberg in spring of 2010. He was interested in becoming a part of the club, but didn’t think that at his age he could handle the work of raising a puppy, she said.

After completing three mandatory meetings, Rundberg became one of the dog sitters, who are “a very valuable part of our club,” Rubino said.

Rundberg watched over more than a dozen dogs in those five years.

His first dog-sitting duty was looking after an 8-month-old Labrador named Gava, who he remembers the most, he said.

One day, while Gava stayed at his home, he walked into the living room to find that she had scattered all of his couch pillows, said Rundberg, who himself had a dog for 16 years earlier in his life.

Rundberg and the dogs would go grocery shopping, out to restaurants and he even took train rides with them. Volunteering to dog-sit was wonderful for him, he said.

“I lost my wife (Lois Rundberg) 11 years ago, and this gave me something to do,” Rundberg said.

Watching over curious, sometimes mischievous, puppies also had some nervous moments, like when one of the dogs dug up a road flare he had buried in his yard while it waited to be dumped into hazardous waste.

He said he called the dog’s veterinarian in Stockton and rushed her there, but by the time he arrived he was told it wasn’t toxic and she would be fine.

“(Puppy-sitting) was a ball,” he said. “I just enjoyed it.”

Rundberg also formed strong bonds with the human members of the group, whom he said were friendly and accepting of him.

“He just kind of adopted all of us, and we adopted him,” Rubino said. “We felt as though we were family … we’ve all become really good friends.”

Rundberg had to stop dog-sitting late last year because the rambunctious pups, when they weren’t wearing their work vests or harnesses, would pull him, and he was almost knocked over, he said.

At that meeting, Rubino presented Rundberg with a certificate, a note from the chief executive officer of Guide Dogs for the Blind, and a cake.

Rundberg got a little teary eyed, she said. He was surprised and appreciative; he thanked the group for letting him be a part of the club.

It was a privilege to volunteer for an organization that has such an immense impact in the lives of people who are blind, he said. Watching people receive their guide dogs is an emotional experience, and he also thinks of military veterans who have lost their eyesight and could benefit from the free program, added Rundberg, who is a World War II veteran.

Rundberg said he’s decided to write in his trust that he’s leaving his Manteca home to the organization, which he learned spends $3 million just on veterinary care for the dogs.

He said, “(this group) was a blessing for me.”

For more information on the Bright Eyes Club, contact Linda Rubino at (209) 835-3922.